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Bill Hansen Highlight
In some ways, the disruptions in your life actually help you. Sometimes you have to be forced with a disruptive action to really do some soul searching into who you are and what you want to do.
About Bill
- I grew up moving between Idaho, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., because my dad worked in the government—I loved it because I got to experience both rural and inner-city living.
- In college, I started out in accounting, but I didn’t enjoy the more advanced accounting classes, so I switched my major—first to political science and then finally to economics.
- I got married and had a child early on, so it took me a while to graduate college—I had to start working right away while taking a lot of night classes in order to finish my degree.
- My first job was working for the U.S. Secretary of Education, who was a great early mentor to me.
- I worked at the Department of Education from my early 20s to my early 30s, working my way up into positions including the assistant secretary for management and budget, and CFO of the department.
- After the 1992 presidential election, the department switched parties and I had to find a new job—I did consulting work for a school district, but really wanted something stable and full-time.
- Eventually, I found a job as president of a trade association involved with student loans, which gave me experience in higher education.
- From there, I held various positions in education, and now work as the president and CEO of Strada Education Network, which helps to connect students with educational and career paths.
